Windmill



May 12, 1931. o. T. RUDE WINDMILL' v Fild April 11, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet l WINDMILL Filed April 11, 1928' 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 "1 h o 1 P Q I,

ln'uento r yzwm Attornqy May 12, 1931. o. T. RUDE 1,805,008

WINDMILL Filed April 11; 192B 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Inventor N NNW w I 35 windmill 45 the blade shafts, v

Fatent'ed May 12, 1931 OSCAR 1.3mm,- or none; NORTH DAKOTA 1 WINDMIIJL Application filed April 11,

The present invention relates to windmills and has for. its principal object to provide means for adjusting the blades thereof whereby to'regulate the speed of rotation of said blade by the action of the wind.-

A further object of the invention is to provide automatic means for controllin the angle of adjustment of the blade where y to increase or decrease the speed at which the mill is operated, depending upon the velocity of the wind.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means operable from a'position on the ground for materially adjusting the angle of the blade whereby to throw the same out w the turn table for rotation therewith upon I a vertical axis, said housing including a gear of operative position if desired. I

In addition to the foregoing objects of the invention it is also the purpose to provide a device of this character of a simple and practical construction, efficient and reliable 1 in performance, strong and durable, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and maintain. in operation, and otherwise well adapted to the purpose for which the same is intended.

'' Other objects and advantages reside in the special construction, combination and arrangement of the various elements forming llhGIlIlVQIltlOIl' as more fully-hereinafter described and claimed, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings forming partv hereof,'wherein .like numerals refer. to like parts throughout, and in which: '7 In the drawings: v

Figure 1 is a top plan view showing the in operative'position, 2 isa vertical longitudinal sectional Figure view through the supporting housing forthe I 7 blade, 7 I

Figure 3 is a fragmentary front elevational T '4 view of the mounting for the blade and showing the housing therefor in section,

Figure 4 is'a detail of the connection between the manually operable blade adjusting means withthe gear segment of each of Figure 5 is a fragmentary side view of such connection,

Figure 6 is a rear elevational view of the gear housing,

elevational Figure 7 is a similar view of the remov- 1928. Serial No. 269,131.

able cover plate for the bearing housingfor i the rear end of the shaft, and a Figure 8 is a similar view of the shaft bearing housing with the cover plate removed.

Beferringvnow to the drawings in detail, s

the invention comprises a windmill having the usual supporting leg 5 and the upper end of which is formedthe base 6 for rotatably supporting the turn table 7 ofthe Windmill, the base 6 having a central recess formed therein for-receiving the downwardly extending hub portion 8 formed on the turn table for rotatably supporting the same within the recess of the base 6.

Agear and shaft housing 9 is formed upon housing 10 disposed immediately above the turn table and an extension llformed at one side thereof and provided *with a cen-' tral bore for rotatably supporting a shaft 12. Roller bearing assemblies'll are mounted in the bore of the extension for facilitating the rotation of the shaft.

The outer end of the shaft 12 supportsa head comprising a flange face 18 keyed to the shaft, the flanged edges of said plate being adapted for securing the outer-edges of a conical cover 14 thereto having itscentral portiondisposed in alinement with the shaftv 12, the cover 14 constituting a housing for the outer end of vsaid shaft. Mounted on the shaft 12 -outwardly of the end ofjthe extension 11 is a beveled gear 15arranged The outer end of the shafts 17 disposed outwardly of the flange provides the mount ing for the blades '19, it beingapparent that the face of said'blades are adapted for axial adjustment by reason of the connection be tween the shafts 17 with the shaft12through the gear and gear segments 15and 16 re spectively. On the end of the shaft 12 ad jacent the center of the cover l lthere is mounted a collar to which one end of a series of brace rods 21 is attached, the opposite end of said rod being connected to the flange 18 whereby to form a brace for the shaft.

Upon each of the shafts 17 is secured one end of an arm 22 disposed parallel with re spect to the shaft 12 and having its outer end providing a mounting for a weight 23, the weight being adapted for longitudinal adjustment with respect to the arm by means of a set screw 24 and the arm being mount: ed for longitudinal adjustment on the shaft 17 by a set screw 25.

A coil spring 26 is arranged adjacent the outer end of the shaft 12 with one end of the spring attached to the shaft and its opposite end attached to the beveled gear 15, said gear being mounted for free rotary movement upon the shaft. A beveled gear 27 is mounted on the shaft 12 within the housing 10 operatively engaging a pinion gear 28 keyed on the upper end of a vertically disposed drive shaft 29.

i The drive shaft 29 extends downwardly toward the base of the windmill for connection in a suitable manner for performing the desired work. The rear wall of the housing 10 indicated at 30 is provided with an o 3611- ing through which the inner end of the s aft 12 is journaled for rotation from the outer face of the wall 30 being formed with a hearing housing 31 disposed about the opening and within which a set of roller bearings 32 are arranged to form a bearing for the inner end of the shaft 12.

The end of the bearing housing 31 is adapted to be closed by a cover plate The top of the housing 10 is also provided with a removable cover plate 3 1 and extending rear wardly from said housing are connected upper and lower tail supporting rods 35 and 36 respectively for supporting the tail 3'? of the windmill upon the'housing and extending in a direction therefrom opposite to the extension 11. V

' To each of the segments 16 is attached a lever 38, each of said levers havingone end of an operating rod 39 connected therewith,

the opposite end of said rod being secured to an annular member 40 extending circumferentially about the extension 11 and spaced therefrom. The annular member .1-0 is adapted for rotation about the extension 11 during the rotation of the head and other rotating parts associated therewith, the face of said annular member disposed adjacent the rotating head of the windmill constituting a track about which a pair of rollers 41 are mounted for movement.

Said rollers are arranged at the opposite sides of the extension 11 and rotatably mounted upon the outer ends of a pair of rods 42 having their opposite ends connected intermediate the ends of a pair of levers 13, likewise disposed at the opposite sides of the extension 11 and connected for simultaneous movement by a transversely disposed rod 44 journaled for rotation in an opening formed in a boss 45 disposed at the upper edge of the extension 11.

To the lower ends of the levers 4:3 is attached a chain or cable 46 extending over a guide pulley 47 downwardly to the base of the windmill in aposition for manual opera tion whereby toadjust the angle of the blades 19 in a desired manner from a position on the ground. The angle at which the blades 19 are Qriginally set, with respect to the wind, is maintained by the spring 26 while the windmill is in idle position, and during the normal rotation of the head mountedat the outer end of the shaft 12, under a normal wind velocity so as to prevent the rotation of the blade shaft 17.

Upon anincrease in the wind velocity beweight 23 to such rotary movement will cause such weight to drop behind their radial alined position with respect to the shaft 17, as shown by the full line in Figure 3 into a rearward position as shown by the dotted line. t is apparent that this movement of the weight 23 will cause a rotary movement of the shaft 17 so as to adjust the angle of the blades 19' with respect to the wind and thus cause a feathering of the blades and thus decrease the rotating speed of the head in proortion to the velocity of the wind. In this manner the speed of the rotating head of the windmill is automatically controlled.

Furthermore whenever it is desired to a tained in idle position;

It is obvious that my invention is susceptible to various changes and modifications in construction Without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims, and I accordingly claim all such formsof the device to which I am entitled.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is: 1

1. A Windmill comprising a rotating head having aplurality of blades extending radially. therefrom, a horizontally disposed shaft rotatably supporting the head, a rotatable shaft for each of said blades, a gear segment carried by each of said blade shafts,a gear freely mounted on said first named shaft operatively connecting each of said gear segments, wind pressure responsive means for angularly adjusting said blades comprising a coil spring yieldably connecting the said mal wind conditions and adaptedto yield to abnormal wind pressure whereby to feather the blades, arms extending radially of the blade shaft and adjustable longitudinally thereon, and weights carried by said arms and adapted to trail upon excessive speed of the head for automatically adjusting the angle of the blades, said spring and said weight being arranged to act oppositely on said blades.

2. A windmill of the type described comprising a rotating head carrying a plurality of radially projecting blades, a horizontal shaft rotatably supporting the head, a rotatable blade support for each of said plurality of blades, a normally outwardly facing gear segment on the inner end of each blade support, a gear freely mounted on thehorizontal shaft outside of said segments and-in mesh therewith, an expansion spring circumposed about the horizontal shaft and outside of said gear and forming a yieldable connection between the gear and the horizontal shaft, said spring operable to automatically project the gear inwardly against said segments to frictionally maintain them against relative rotation with the gear, and speed responsive means operatively opposed to the action of said spring consisting of a radially extending arm on each of said blade supports andslidably adjustable longitudinally thereon, a weight on the outer end of each arm, said weights adapted to trail the motion of the head when the same has reached an excessive speed and automatically turn said blade supports and Vary the angularity of the blades.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

OSCAR T. RUDE. 

